Chittorgarh Fort – Quick Guide Chittorgarh Fort – Overview Chittorgarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India situated in Chittorgarh town in Rajasthan. The fort is spread in an area of around 700 acres. The fort has many palaces, temples, towers and other structures built by many Rajput rulers. The fort was attacked by many rulers like the kings of Gujarat Sultanate, Delhi Sultanate, and Mughal Dynasty. Currently the fort has become UNESCO World Heritage site and it was included in the list in 2013 by World Heritage Committee. Chittorgarh Chittorgarh is situated on the banks of Berach and Gambhiri rivers. It was the capital of Sisodia Rajputs. The town was attacked thrice and the ladies of the Rajput rulers performed Jauhar in order to save themselves from enemies. The Rajputs that ruled Chittorgarh believed in sacrificing their lives rather than surrendering to the enemy. Previously the name of the town was Chitrakut when it was under the Mori dynasty. Later on, Bappa Rawal overtook the kingdom and founded the kingdom of Mewar. Another legend says that Bappa Rawal got this town as a dowry from the last ruler of Solanki dynasty after marriage. Visiting Hours The fort is opened for the tourists from 9:45am to 5:15pm. It takes almost two hours to visit the whole fort along with the structures present in the fort. Sound and light shows are also organized in the fort whose timing is 7:00pm to 8:00pm. There is a museum which can be visited between 9:45am and 5:45pm. On Mondays and on important festivals the museum remains closed. Tickets Tourists have to buy tickets from the ticket counter in order to visit the fort. The charges of ticket for an Indian tourist is Rs. 10 and for foreign tourist Rs. 100. To watch the sound and light show, the entry fee for an adult is Rs. 50 and for a student Rs. 25. In order to visit museum, the tourists have to buy ticket. For an Indian tourist, the ticket charges for an adult is Rs. 10 and for a student it is Rs. 5. For foreign tourists, the ticket charges for an adult is Rs. 50 and for a student Rs. 25. Best Time to Visit The best time to visit the fort is from February to April and October to December as the climate is pleasant in these months. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold. The other months are either very cold or very hot. Where to Stay? There are around 68 hotels in Chittorgarh which include inexpensive budget hotels to expensive four-star hotels. Tourists can stay in resorts and guest houses at cheap rates. People can get also stay in hotels nearby railway station and the fort. Chittorgarh Fort – History Chittorgarh fort has a long history from the time it was built. The fort had been sieged by many rulers. The warriors fought the enemy bravely while the women performed jauhar so that they cannot be taken away by the enemy. Ancient History of Chittorgarh There are many legends related to Chittorgarh. Some of them say that Chittorgarh was previously called Chitrakut and was ruled by Moris while the other say that Chitraranga built the fort and so was named Chittorgarh. There is also a legend in which it is stated that Bhima, brother of Yudhishthir, struck the ground which became a large reservoir of water and now it is called Bhimlat Kund. Bappa Rawal Legends say that Bappa Rawal was a Guhila ruler who either captured the fort or got it in dowry. It is also said that Moris were defeated by Arabs and then Bappa Rawal defeated the Arabs and captured the fort. Alauddin Khilji Alauddin Khilji attacked the fort in 1303AD in order to capture Rani Padmini who was very beautiful. She was the wife of Rana Ratan Singh. Though Rana showed her to Alauddin Khilji in the mirrors but he still wanted to capture her. Rana was captured by the Khilji who gave a proposal that Rana will be released if rani comes to his harem. Rather than going to the harem, rani sent 700 soldiers who rescued the rana but were defeated in the battle that as fought near the fort. Rana was killed in that battle and Rani Padmini along with other women performed jauhar. Alauddin won the battle and appointed his son Khizr Khan as its ruler and named the fort Khizrabad. Post Khilji Rule Khizr Khan was pressurized to give the power to Maldeva who was killed by Hammir Singh. In his time, the kingdom of Mewar grew in wealth and prosperity and his dynasty came to be known as Sisodia dynasty. Ketra Singh succeeded Hammir Singh in 1364 and he was succeeded by Lakha Singh in 1382. Rana Kumbha was the grandson of Lakha Singh and he took up the throne in 1433. Rana Kumbha Rana Kumbha was the son of Rana Mokal and he reigned from 1433 to 1468. During his reign, he built around 32 forts in order to secure his kingdom. One of his forts is Kumbalgarh that is built near Udaipur. Rana Kumbha was killed by his son Rana Udaysimha to gain the throne. Rana Udaysimha and Rana Raimal Rana Udaysimha, also known as Rana Udai Singh I, attained the throne in 1468 by killing his father but the assassination was not liked by the people so Rana Raimal attained the throne in 1473. Rana Raimal died in 1509. Rana Sanga Rana Raimal was succeeded by Rana Sanga who was his youngest son. Rana Sanga, also known as Sangram Singh, elevated the prosperity and pride of Chittor and Mewar. He defeated the Gujarat rulers and Ibrahim Lodi. He was defeated by Babar in the Battle of Khanwa fought in 1527. Though the Rana escaped but was killed in the attack on the Chanderi fort. The death of Rana Sanga led to the decline of Rajputs and the fort was besieged by many